'Law & Order' Veteran Rene Balcer Developing Arctic Drama for CBC

The Canadian mystery-thriller is co-produced by NBCUniversal International and Lark Productions, in partnership with Keston International.

Former Law & Order showrunner Rene Balceris developing The Council for Canada's CBC network, with Lark Productions and NBCUniversal International co-producing the global drama.

The mystery-thriller revolves around a murder in a remote Canadian Arctic town.

Balcer is best known for his work on the Dick Wolf-created Law & Order, for which he won a best drama Emmy in 1997 as one of the flagship show’s executive producers. A writer for the long-running drama since its inaugural season in 1991, he was head writer and showrunner for many of its 20 seasons.

"There isn’t a writer who is a better fit for this show than Rene,” said JoAnn Alfano, executive vp scripted programming for NBCU International Television Production, in a statement Thursday. "He has a unique ability to weave complex mysteries with character-based drama."

The Council follows an investigation that begins with a ritualistic killing in an isolated Arctic outpost but spirals outward to expose an international conspiracy to control the vast natural resources of the Arctic. The project brings Balcer back to the Canadian Arctic where, as a college student, he worked in construction.

The executive producer credits are shared by Louise Clark and Erin Haskett for Lark and Trevor Walton and Denis Coyne for Keston International. NBCUniversal International Television Production retains all distribution rights for The Council.